Developing a Professional Mentor Relationship

First introduced last school year, recently I became a member of the Spelman-Humpherey Global Health Mentorship program at Emory University. I was matched with Dr. Jerome Dinga, an applied biotechnologist from Cameroon who studies at the Humpherey School of Public Health. This professional connection with Dr. Dinga allowed me to understand deeply how you can be given knowledge from a mentor for my own success, but also showed me that my experiences can offer knowledge and help the success of my mentor as well! Me and Dr. Dinga have met every month for the past few months and he gave offered unique and exemplary advice and connections for my future in healthcare. I can apply what I have learned from this mentorship into the real world by showcasing the importance of reaching out with intentionality. This was one of the first relationships where it was in my own responsibility to continue the relationship, without outside force or supervision to keep our connection alive. I have learned the significance of the follow up, and how without it, helpful connections for my success could easily be lost. I would say something I would like to improve this year that I missed last semester, would to have more in person meeting that virtually. I have definitely learned that though virtual meetings are more accessible, I definitely think I more genuine connection can be made through in person interaction. 

This activity connects to other experiences as a students and individual is simply mentorship. Mentorship will be present in all spaces and stages of my life, and learning how to be a lucrative and sufficient mentee now, will teach me how to be a great mentor in the future as well. More specifically, outside of Spelman I serve as a mentor for the non-profit SIS Circles, where I am a mentor to Black girls at Douglass High School. My experience with the Humpherey Fellowship taught me the power of the follow up, and I use this same practice with the girls I mentor, and teach them these same lessons as well as my mentees. Overall, this experience has taught me and solidified that the satisfaction that mentorship brings to me, especially to young ones who look up to me, and the lessons I learn as a mentor will transfer to how well of a mentor I am. 

- Ashe' Kelsey